This month Susan completes and submits Kindergarten Mafia to the editors who requested chapters or the full manuscript. She was also accepted into the Big Sur Children’s Writing Workshop

The past month has been incredibly stressful in the way that phrase was originally intended. Incredibly: that which strains past credible; far-fetched. Stressful: full of stress or tension.

Stressful times make for difficult writing conditions so some decisions had to be made. Fortunately, I had the time, means and opportunity to literally run away. I packed up my vehicle and headed for the mountains with my son Chris and my dog Brooks.

While I worked on Kindergarten Mafia, Chris completed his first full-length screenplay. Brooks chased butterflies. Above us the mountains burned (more on that later).

Some people mistake this kind of getaway for a change of scene that might inspire writing. In fact, the scenery is virtually irrelevant when it comes to writing. I simply want to stick my head inside my computer and be in the story. No distractions.

How to block out the world and write

On a good writing day I employ a number of strategies to block out the world. If you can’t imagine yourself being as tough as I suggest, just picture a linebacker mid-game. You are the linebacker. Do you accept interruptions to your objective of getting the ball over the goal line? (Hint: no). If you feel guilt, get over it.

So – you have taken care of the essentials (food, water, shelter, clothing, the bills, the babysitter) in order to begin your work. You have set your goals for the writing day. You sit down to write. The world will do its best to divert you.

Here, then, are my tips for blocking out the world in order to get the work done:

1. Do not pick up the phone. There’s nothing worse than being in the flow of your work only to be interrupted…followed by a half hour or more of striving to get back to where you were when the phone rang. This is a fictional world, you are its creator. Yes, you are Atlas, shouldering that world. Don’t drop it at the sound of the bell. If you are a compulsive phone answerer, turn off the ringer or unplug the phone. That is what voice mail is for. (“What if it’s an emergency?” “Oh, well, then, by all means go ahead and call….9-1-1.”)

2. Let friends know what you are doing and ask for their support. I write between nine a.m. and five p.m. I pick up voice mail mid-day and at the end of the day. If you simply can’t manage that kind of steely resolve, keep a strict list of the Only People You Will Pick Up For. Keep that list small and politely inform them that you will keep calls brief.

3. Do not surf the Internet. If you are writing, write. Use of the Internet comes under the heading Research and you’ve already done that, right? Of course, there will be exceptions such as looking up correct word usage –homonyms are tricky – but understand that any diversion from your work in progress sets you back.

4. Keep distractions to a minimum. Each of us is unique. You might respond well to the sound of a gurgling fountain or music. You might be centered by the view of a forest. Pay attention to the sights and sounds that cause mind drift. My personal distractibility level varies. Some days I have to close the window, close the blinds, close the door and unplug the phones. Other days the window is open to the fountain outside, the blinds and doors are open and I whale away on the keyboard.

5. Make a visible statement. Speaking of distractions and interruptions: if you are at risk of being interrupted in the place where you are hard at work or if you are highly susceptible to distraction consider wearing earmuffs or a big ol’ headset. If sound is not an issue, wear deely bobbers. Remember them? Hair band, long sproingy antennae? Back when I worked in a corporate environment I’d wear deely bobbers to let people know that I was hard at work on a script. They laughed at first, sure, but they got the message. (Did I mention that I am not necessarily corporate material?)

6. Carve out your creative working space. Claim it. Try to keep it uncluttered (good luck with that) and learn what you can about ergonomic office furniture. Again, you know what you need to address your individual kinks and quirks. For instance, I need to feel cocooned when I write so the place where I write is more of a cockpit than a desk.

Chris stayed for a week. He completed his screenplay as the final act in meeting the conditions of his Masters Degree in Screenwriting. We took a celebratory flight over the glaciers above Whistler Mountain (thanks Simone!) The summer fires were still blazing, but contained. A host of gratitude to every firefighter and official who worked – and continues to work – to keep British Columbians safe in this Summer of Fires.

Me with my son Chris and the float plane that took them on a glacier tour above Whistler.

View on Garibaldi Lake.

All write and no play makes Susan a raving lunatic. Two wonderful friends, Alison and Georgina, came to visit one weekend and we did what any sane women would do for fun. Inspired by the film Julie & Julia we made boeuf bourguignon using Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Channeling their inner Julia: Alison, Georgina and our boeuf bourguignon.

We walked, we shopped, we talked a lot, we applied facial masques and we ate. As Alison said, she and her husband finally had the perfect weekend – just not together. He attended a monster truck rally.

Brooks has yet to actually catch a butterfly.